Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take appropriate steps to provide necessary guarantees to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to facilitate holding the Asian Beach Games (ABG) here in 2024.
Stalin, in a letter to Modi, pointed out that the OCA in its executive committee meet held on May 6, 2022 at Tashkent had in principle accepted holding the ABG in Tamil Nadu in January, 2024.
The OCA has to be provided necessary guarantees by the Union government by September 2022. Such guarantees, to be given by the Union Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry, include those related to free passage for participants.
The Chief Minister requested the Prime Minister to take appropriate steps to provide necessary guarantees to OCA to facilitate holding the ABG here in 2024, an official release here said. In his letter, Stalin thanked Modi for his presence in the inaugural of the FIDE 44th Chess Olympiad here on July 28 and for the Centre's full support in holding the international indoor sport event here.
Referring to Modi's keen interest in encouraging sports in the country, the Chief Minister sought his cooperation in conducting the ABG here. It may be recalled that the Sports Ministry had last month said that it supported 'in principle' the Indian Olympic Association's willingness to host the ABG in the country in 2024.
(With PTI Inputs)
